Lover of books and book reviewer. Usually found in a comfy chair with a book.

BLOGIVAL REVIEW: Dance with the Enemy by Rob Sinclair

Blurb: Carl Logan was the perfect agent. A loner, with no real friends or family, he was trained to deal with any situation with cold efficiency, devoid of emotion. But Logan isn’t the man he used to be, or the asset he once was. Five months ago his life changed forever when he was captured, tortured and left for dead by Youssef Selim, one of the world’s most violent terrorists. When Selim mysteriously reappears in Paris, linked to the kidnapping of America’s Attorney General, Logan smells his chance for revenge. Pursuing his man relentlessly, oblivious to the growing trail of destruction that he leaves in his wake, Logan delves increasingly deep into the web of lies and deceit surrounding the kidnapping. Finally, he comes to learn just what it means to Dance with the Enemy.

My Rating: 4.5/5

Review: It’s been a while since I’ve read a fast-paced action thriller like this so when I saw the most recent book in this series on offer as part of Blogival I was very interested but, not keen on starting a series midway I was generously offered this book instead, the first in the series and I have to say reading this has added a few more books to my already enormous tbr pile. Previous to reading this I’ve watched the Jason Bourne films and read a lot of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone series (I really need to get back to them!). This book reminded me a lot of the Bourne films and Cotton Malone, it’s a good mix of their best features; the fast pace and skills of Bourne combined with more fast paced but detailed storytelling from Steve Berry.

The action starts almost straight away, a few pages in there is the kidnapping of the US Attorney General in Paris, which is done in a way that would grab the attention of the world, were it real, and grabs the readers attention at the same time because there is so much going on you can’t help but read, or inhale, every word. Despite the mass of action the human element is still retained and we see and feel the fear of the Attorney General and others with him as the kidnappers carry out their plan. I liked that this human element is retained all through the book, the main character Carl Logan is clearly not perfect. Something that happened a few months ago has damaged him and makes him a risk for his organisation despite him possibly being the best person for the job of tracking down and recovering the Attorney General. We get glimpses of what happened to Logan through the book and a picture builds up and you realise why he is the way he is now.

I have to admit it took me a while to get into this book because I was reading it while I was ill and it’s not the easiest book to read when your concentration is compromised. However, it is doable and once I got a bit further into it my fuzzy head didn’t get in the way of me being caught up in the action again. There are a few scenes in the book which are very relevant to today’s world, the belief is that terrorists are involved in the kidnapping. There is a lot of speculation over that, some discussions of what were, at the time of writing/publication current issues but these for me did not detract from the story or the pace of it, they added to the general background and depth and gave me space to breathe before Logan was back in pursuit of the kidnappers, the man who left him for dead months ago and the other people who are trying to kill him.

This is one of those books that you read barely noticing the pages turning, almost not breathing because you want to know what happens next, what’s round that corner, will the ‘bad guy’ catch them, who fired that gun. I think you get the idea! If you want something fast-paced and well-written this is definitely worth a try, just make sure you have a few hours free because once you get into it you won’t want to put it down.

Many thanks to Rachel at Authoright for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Author Bio: Rob began writing in 2009 following a promise to his wife, an avid reader, that he could pen a ‘can’t put down’ thriller.

Rob’s first novel, Dance with the Enemy, was published in June 2014 and is the first in the Enemy Series following embattled intelligence agent Carl Logan. Rise of the Enemy, the second book in the series, was released in April 2015, with the third book, Hunt for the Enemy, being released in February 2016. The Enemy series has received widespread critical acclaim with many reviewers and readers having likened Rob’s work to authors at the very top of the genre, including Lee Child and Vince Flynn.

Rob worked for nearly 13 years for a global accounting firm after graduating from The University of Nottingham in 2002, specialising in forensic fraud investigations at both national and international levels. He now writes full time.

Originally from the North East of England, Rob has lived and worked in a number of fast paced cities, including New York, and is now settled in the West Midlands with his wife and young sons.